CA supports health workforce in new fiscal year budget

California Supports Health Workforce in New Fiscal Year Budget

$100 Million Workforce Funding Continues in 2018-2019: After the reinstatement of these funds in the FY 17-18 Budget, the enacted budget reaffirms the administration’s commitment to primary care workforce by moving forward with the 2nd of 3 installments to increase funding to the Song-Brown Program that invests in primary care residency in underserved communities.

1. Office of Statewide Health and Planning Department (OSHPD)/Song Brown: Secures next installment ($31.3 million) of three-year $100 million commitment to primary care residency, including dedicated support for Teaching Health Centers. As a reminder, $333,000 of these funds is distributed to the State Loan Repayment Program.

$3,333,000 to newly accredited primary care residency programs. As of June 30, 2021, unspent amounts may be redirected to fund new residency slots at existing programs if newly accredited primary care residency programs have not been established.

Additionally, $333,000 of these funds is made available to the State Loan Repayment Program.

2. OSHPD/Scholarship: One-time $1,000,000 is available to fund scholarships for primary care and emergency physicians receiving Primary Care Clinician Psychiatry Fellowships from either the University of California at Davis Medical School or the University of California at Irvine Medical School.

3. OSHPD/Workforce Education and Training: One-time $10,000,000 investment to continue Mental health Services Act (MHSA) to support prevention, early intervention and services in public mental health systems through the Workforce Education and Training (WET) programs.

4. Proposition 56: The legislature and administration reached an agreement on the FY 18-19 spending plan for the Proposition 56, California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 revenue, similar to 2017, over a billion dollars is projected to flow to Medi-Cal in 2018-19. Appropriate $1.0 billion in state Proposition 56 funds, and $1.25 billion in federal funds for supplemental payments ($786.6 million), rate increases ($34.6 million), and loan assistance for the provision of Medi-Cal services ($220 million).

5. Proposition 56/Residency: One-time $40 million investment in primary care and emergency medicine residency. These voter approved funds will now go to University of California and the fund’s selected third party administer (CMA Foundation). While an application will still need to be created, these funds are to be distributed to five specialties – emergency medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, ob/gyn, internal medicine.

What we’re reading

Fresno will be site for training medical students at UCSF branch campus:
Fresno will have a branch campus of the UCSF School of Medicine under a plan to train medical students and retain them as doctors to serve residents in the medically needy San Joaquin Valley. UCSF students enrolled in the San Joaquin Valley program in medical education will spend 18 months at UCSF medical campus and then move to Fresno for the remaining years of their training.Read the full article here >>

California’s Physicians: Headed for a Drought?
The people in California’s communities rely on physicians — primary care providers and specialists alike — to keep them healthy. This report, compiled using data from surveys completed by doctors when they renewed their medical licenses in 2015, provides a snapshot of who those physicians are, where they work, and what kind of medicine they practice.Read the full report here >>

California needs more mental health professionals – and the shortage will get worse, experts say:
California is suffering a shortage of mental health professionals – and it’s expected to get worse in the next decade. In 2013, California had a shortage of 336 psychiatrists, according to national projections from the Health Resources and Services Administration, cited by the Governor’s Office. “That shortage is forecasted to grow between 729 and 1848 by 2025”.Read the full article here >>

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What is the CA Future Health Workforce Commission?

The California Future Health Workforce Commission was created to help the state close the gap between the health workforce we have and the workforce we need. The Commission is composed of recognized senior leaders who represent California’s diversity and bring expertise from health, education, employment, labor, and government sectors. Staffing for the Commission comes from the Public Health Institute with support from California’s leading health philanthropies, including The California Endowment, The Blue Shield of California Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, and the California Health Care Foundation.